AARON GORDON

THE FORMER MAIN MAN IN ORLANDO BECAME THE BEST VERSION OF HIMSELF AS A COMPLEMENTARY ATTACKER ON OFFENSE AND A PERIMETER PEST ON DEFENSE

- ROHAN NADKARNI

WHEN THE NUGGETS acquired Aaron Gordon from the Magic in March 2021, Denver coach Michael Malone didn't have a special role in mind for the No. 4 pick from the '14 draft. Instead, the team gave the versatile forward a simple message.

"They just told me to be me," Gordon says.

It was good advice. Two seasons later the Nuggets are champions, and Gordon's contributions on both ends of-and all over-the floor were a major reason why.

"Aaron Gordon is a prime example of somebody who's truly selfless," Malone said during the NBA Finals. "He does a lot of the dirty work for us, and a lot of times he doesn't get the credit that he deserves." Allow us to give him some, Coach.

During the regular season Gordon emerged as a two-way demon. He averaged 16.3 points per game while shooting a career-best 56.4% from the field, and he filled out the stat sheet nicely, averaging 6.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists. And he was the Nuggets' most rugged perimeter defender during the team's run to the championship, taking on the opponent's best scorer on a near-nightly basis.

Offensively, Gordon's chemistry with Nikola Jokić allows him to find one easy bucket after another. If Jokić has the ball on the elbow and help defenders start creeping toward him, Gordon will dash along the baseline and cut to the hoop for a score before the help realizes they've lost him. He's also become a deadly screener, especially when he sets picks for Jokić. Gordon is adept at taking advantage of the bigger bodies who guard Jokić and aren't used to navigating screens. He often finds quick baskets by slipping screens against centers who start to look panicky when he approaches. And good luck putting a smaller body on the 6' 8", 235-pound Gordon, who will immediately bully them into the paint and position himself for an entry pass.